Page 53 of The Wolf in My Tavern

Something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye… a familiar shape—Gray, enswathed in a cloak. At his side is another familiar figure, Drake.

My heart does a telltale giddy-up just seeing him.

He is leaving today, she said. Gods, why does that hurt so much?

But, he lied to me. He also ate out my pussy and made me come so hard I saw stars. How dare he tell me he is mated, when he is not. I believe Betsy. Every instinct in my body says a mated wolf shifter cannot touch another. Only the moment I realize this, I question how it is possible for me to love Callum and also Gray…

No. I don’t love Gray. I cannot. Lust after him, maybe. I don’t even want to lust after him. He is a disagreeable man with a constant scowl on his face. Why I find him attractive is a mystery even to me. He is gruff and grumpy, and, further, he seems to go out of his way to intimidate me whenever I must serve him.

I frown, tracking their movement as they head toward the markets.

Betsy turns to see what I am staring at so avidly. “Is that Gray?” She sounds as confused as I feel.

Ahead of Gray and Drake, I see two people dart into the crowd.

Gray and Drake follow, their steps purposeful.

Why are they following them?

Suddenly, the young couple dart out of the crowd and into a nearby alleyway. Gray and Drake take off in pursuit.

Before I can second-guess myself, I am likewise hot on their heels.

“Ada!” Betsy hisses, her footfall following me. “Ada, what are you doing?”

“Hush,” I say, still running after them. In this moment of clarity, lots of things begin to make sense. I saw that couple’s faces when they saw him: shock and fear before they ran, hand in hand. Gray’s face was thunderous before he took off after them.

My mind is a jumble of impressions and poorly formed conclusions, but I need to see more—to see what happens. And if I can thwart him, then I will.

I catch another glimpse. The young couple’s hands still cling together, even as the young man lowers his arm to her waist, urging her on.

My legs burn from the chase. The only reason I can keep up is that my smaller size makes navigating the crowds easier.

Gray doesn’t have a mate. No: he is trying to take somebody else’s!

The deep betrayal I feel burns. Why did I let him kiss me? Why did I let him kiss me there?

Oh, I am so better off with Callum, who I love and who loves me. I am so cross with myself even as I want to beat on the male who dares to try to snatch somebody else’s lass.

What madness is going on in his mind?

Is his wolf deranged?

Only, Goddess, his wolf. I cannot think of his soft fur, nor his snout pressing against me in the most scandalous way. I won’t think about it ever again—I shall purge it from my mind.

The crowd moves between us, and all I catch is them disappearing around a corner.

I race on, coming to a skittering stop at a corner.

“Ada!” Betsy hisses, breathless with the chase. “Something tells me we should not get involved.”

“I need to see,” I say, already taking a deep breath before I peer around the corner.

Drake has the lad, and Gray has the lass.

They fight.

The lass squeals until Gray clamps a hand over her mouth.

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